Cardinals trip Red Lions, edge closer to Final 4

Mapua played tough defense in the stretch as it survived San Beda, 64-63, yesterday to enhance its Final Four bid in the 79th NCAA basketball tournament at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Sean Co, a rookie out of Chiang Kai Shek, led the Mapua charge with 14 points including the go-ahead basket off a Jeff Martin feed as the Cardinals firmed up their post in the Magic Four with a 7-5 win-loss record.

Mapua also drew huge games from Raymund Dula and Ryan Malig. The 6-foot-6 Dula claimed a season-high 23 rebounds on top of scoring 11 points while Malig chipped in seven markers in his first game since being sidelined for a month due to dengue.

But more than the individual heroics, it was the Cardinals’ team defense that made the difference.

"We know our strength is our defense and we capitalized on that to win this one," said Mapua coach Horacio Lim as the Cards moved closer to their first Final Four appearance in three years.

Indeed, Mapua came prepared defensively against San Beda’s running game as the former held the latter’s top gunner, MVP race leader Ronnie Bughao, to just six points.

The high-leaping Jerome Paterno tried to fill in the slack in the Red Lions’ offensive as he erupted for all of his 18 markers in the second half but he didn’t figure in crucial possessions in the endgame.

With Paterno neutralized by Mapua’s swarming defense, Mark Apepe tried to carry the fight but his triple bounced off the ring.

San Beda had one more chance to steal the game but skipper Arjun Cordero’s muffed a follow-up shot before the buzzer sounded and the Red Lions went on to absorb their sixth loss against the same number of wins for fifth overall.

In the other game, Letran rode on a season high 36-point effort of Ronjay Enrile as it rallied to beat Philippine Christian University, 94-90, in overtime to join defending champion San Sebastian at the helm with a 8-4 card.

It was the Dolphins’ ninth defeat in 12 outings.